America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 292 The Next Best

As Martin got out of the car, he turned around, took Blake's hand, and helped her out of the car, while nearby reporters swarmed around to take pictures.

Meanwhile, on both sides of the red carpet, shouts from Martin and the leader rose and fell, their momentum no less than that of any star.

Martin is no longer an unknown actor.

Therefore, he and Blake walked the red carpet relatively quickly.

The several stops were also because Blake needed to pose for photos.

As they walked down the red carpet, someone shouted, "Martin, over here! Come this way!"

Martin led Blake over, where Rachel and Phoebe, along with his most devoted fanbase, were cheering him on.

The two first took photos with their fans, and then did their usual autograph signing.

Martin was actually very happy to meet these old friends who had supported him before he became famous.

He felt especially good when he thought about the autographed books they gave him, as long as no one asked what was written on them.

It would be awkward if someone asked.

When I write my memoirs or autobiography in the future, this is a section that I can write about in great detail.

Of course, cola is indispensable at this moment.

Martin accepted the two cans of Coca-Cola from Rachel, opened one and handed it to Blake, then raised a toast to all the fans.

Not only his fan club, but also hundreds of spectators on both sides of the red carpet chanted in unison: "Cola Cult Forever!"

As one of the GG sponsors, the head of Coca-Cola's Los Angeles branch also appeared at the Oscars ceremony and couldn't help but laugh when he heard the almost perfectly synchronized shouts.

He told his deputy, "Martin is a very responsible spokesperson; he never forgets to be a Coca-Cola advocate."

The deputy agreed: "It's not easy to find a celebrity spokesperson with such high professional ethics."

The person in charge, recalling the steadily increasing sales figures since the Cola Cult's inception, said, "Headquarters should sign a longer contract with them!"

Upon arriving at the media area, no reporters approached to interview the two, as they had not received any nominations.

Martin and Blake posed for photos in front of the sponsor's backdrop, showing off their affection, before entering the Kodak Theater together.

"We endured hunger for over a week, all for these few minutes," Blake said with deep emotion, muttering, "It's truly a crazy game."

Martin laughed: "Countless people are fascinated by it."

Upon arriving at the theater lobby entrance, Blackl stopped Martin, made him face him, and meticulously straightened Martin's suit and bow tie, exclaiming, "He's incredibly handsome, breathtakingly so!"

Martin never tried to change Blake's female fan mentality; he simply pulled her into the theater and walked straight ahead.

The Kodak Theatre is the best illustration of a world of fame and power, with the most popular and influential stars of the past year sitting in the first three rows.

Art students favored by the academy are often placed at the front of the class.

Martin was not nominated and was positioned in the third row, slightly to the left of center.

I happened to run into Cate Blanchett when I went there.

The moment their eyes met, they bounced away as if they were like poles colliding.

Blanchett let out a cold snort.

Martin ignored her and walked past her.

Blake followed behind Martin, seemingly talking to himself: "It's so hard for women to get older; they get so many injections that their facial features are as hard as stone."

Blanchett remained seated, seemingly oblivious to what was happening.

Martin tugged at Blake, and the two moved to sit on the left.

Blake said, "She attacked you in an interview, saying you were petty. You're a man, you can't really retaliate against a woman, but I can!"

She glanced over there and said, "How dare she slander you? I'll give her a piece of my mind when I get the chance."

Martin didn't want her to get involved in these pointless struggles: "You focus on your career; I can handle this little thing."

Nicholson walked in at that moment; his seat was in the second row, and he deliberately passed by Martin's side.

Martin went up to him and asked, "Are you alright?"

Nicholson patted his chest, his voice booming, "As strong as an ox."

Seeing that he was indeed better, Martin immediately responded in a jerk-like manner: "Yes, like a bull, frighteningly slow, only moves when whipped."

As a bastard, Nicholson understood what he meant. He leaned closer and lowered his voice: "You want me to mail photos and videos to Blake?"

Martin said bluntly, "You're a rotten person who only does rotten things."

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet arrived later.

Blake, who was chatting with Amy Adams, stood up to greet her.

Kate shook hands with Martin and said, "When do you have time to talk privately?"

Martin said, "Anytime after tonight."

Kate gestured: "Wait for me to call you."

"Okay," Martin replied.

As more and more people entered, the group could no longer remain blocking the way, so they quickly dispersed and went to their seats.

Blake asked curiously, "Are you close to Kate?"

Martin and Kate have no special relationship, so he spoke frankly: "I met Kate when I was in Atlanta, and she was filming there. We've kept in touch ever since. Later, when I was competing for the Saturn Award for Best Young Actor and The Hills Have Eyes, and I met Wes Craven, she helped me a lot."

Blake said, "Debts of gratitude are the most troublesome."

Martin was helpless. He was completely different from Blake. Although Blake wasn't a top-tier celebrity offspring, her producer father had the ability to create projects.

He had to do everything he could to climb the ladder, which led to the close-knit trio of bastards he is today.

The awards ceremony began soon, and tonight was truly a cake-sharing ceremony, with no single production team emerging as a super winner.

In the middle of the ceremony, Martin, as the award presenter, went on stage alone to present the Best Documentary Award to "March of the Penguins".

The four most prestigious awards—Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress—were shared among four different films.

Reese Witherspoon, who started her career in romantic comedies, won the Best Actress award, which sparked some discussion.

Ang Lee won the Best Director Oscar for "Brokeback Mountain," but "Crash," which was more Americanized and Los Angeles-centric, won Best Picture.

After the awards ceremony, Martin and Black rushed off to attend the Vanity Fair Oscar Night party.

As soon as Blake sat down at the table, he smelled the aroma of food, grabbed Martin's arm, and said, "Food! I want to eat something delicious!"

Martin asked, "What do you want to eat?"

After a week of ascetic living, Blake decided to indulge himself: "Hamburgers, all I want to eat right now is hamburgers."

Martin went to the food area to get his food, and just as he picked up his plate, he bumped into Heath Ledger, who was also attending the awards ceremony that evening.

The other party came to get food for his fiancée, Michelle Williams.

Martin nodded and said, "Good evening."

Heath Ledger looked tense, said nothing, took the food, and immediately walked away.

He glanced back as he walked away. He was confident of getting an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, but ultimately he was not selected.

Having invested so much but gained nothing, it's inevitable to feel resentful.

Back at the table where the "Brokeback Mountain" crew was, Michelle Williams picked up a piece of cake and started eating it.

Ang Lee, holding his Best Director Oscar, happily posed for photos with people on the side.

Blanchett then came over, first congratulating Ang Lee and producer Schamus, and then comforting Heath Ledger: "It's okay, there will be other opportunities in the future."

Heath Ledger replied, "I'm fine."

Blanchett added, "Bale is a good guy. He put pressure on the 'The Prestige' crew, and they turned down Martin Davis and cast Hugh Jackman instead."

Heath Ledger finally felt a little better: "Thank you for the good news."

Blanchett said, "We are outsiders, and only by uniting can we acquire more resources."

Heath Ledger nodded repeatedly.

"Don't rush, take your time." Blanchett patted him on the shoulder and walked away.

Heath Ledger turned and found Martin, who was chatting with Leonardo and Nicholson, laughing and joking about something.

This group of American celebrities are banding together and xenophobic.

On the other side, Blake picked up a large hamburger and ate it with relish.

At this party, most of the male celebrities were polite and busy socializing.

In contrast, more than half of the female celebrities who are usually conscious of their image were seen indulging in a large meal.

Many of them choose high-calorie foods.

The newly crowned Oscar-winning actress even held a pizza in each hand, tossing her Oscar statuette aside.

No one will laugh at them.

A week-long diet like Blake's is usually quite short.

After finishing one hamburger, Blake reached for another, but Martin quickly stopped her: "Eat slowly, give your stomach some time to process it."

Blake laughed sheepishly, "Did I look really ugly just now?"

Martin said, "It tastes delicious, I want some too."

After waiting a while, seeing that Blake still wanted to eat, Martin brought him a hamburger, and the two shared one.

It was also a night of revelry, with celebrities indulging not only in food but also in their physical instincts.

For example, the famous elevator door incident happened on Oscar night.

Martin was a good man with a conscience, so towards the end of the party, he took Blake home to spend their Oscar night together.

Having replenished his energy with enough calories, Blake, whose spirits had waned the previous week due to dieting, regained the vitality of an eighteen-year-old.

Martin simply gave Bruce a day off, and they partied all night with Blake.

Poor Bruce drove off, gave the middle finger to the security camera, and ended up wandering the streets, eventually ending up at Khloé Kardashian's house.

For some reason, Bruce felt that Khloe seemed more suitable for him than the dissolute Kim.

A scumbag is always looking for the next one, and the next one is always the best.

The Oscar buzz lasted only two days. Before the rainbow flags could even celebrate the victory of "Brokeback Mountain," news about this year's Oscars was overshadowed by a deluge of other news.

Jennifer Aniston and WMA held a joint press conference to announce that Aniston had successfully terminated her contract with CAA and that her agent, Steve, had joined WMA.

(End of this chapter)